After Shaquille O’Neal’s Confession of Haunting Diatribe, 7’1″ Giant’s Turbulent Friendship With Kobe Bryant Set to Uncover New Layer

It’s not an exaggeration that one of the best tandems in NBA history was when the dominant center, Shaquille O’Neal was partnered with a young Kobe Bryant. The partnership took a while to work out but it was formidable. However, the duo was not without problems. Friction underlined their friendship and clashes marred their brotherhood. Their relationship dominated media coverage on many occasions. Now it’s going to be relived in a new docuseries.

O’Neal has been expressive about his many regrets regarding Kobe Bean Bryant after his untimely passing. A generation of NBA fans who didn’t witness the most turbulent era of the Lakers dynasty will get a new perspective on Shaq’s lingering feelings through this documentary.

Shaquille O’Neal’s relationship with Kobe Bryant revisited

In 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers added rookie Kobe Bryant and the league’s formidable center of the time, Shaquille O’Neal to their roster. They were a duo that dominated opponents on the court. However, off the court they had their fair degree of friction. Lots of teammates have some struggles, but the Shaq-Kobe tandem was under immense scrutiny.

Their relationship is the subject of a three-part docuseries, ‘How to Make a Basket: Shaq vs. Kobe.’ It’s created by Secret Base, a studio that has produced multiple documentaries on O’Neal, Bryant, and the Lakers dynasty.

This time they’re delving into “the history of the relationship between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.” Details about this docuseries are obscure so far. The release date is not revealed yet though it’s likely to stream on the Secret Base channel.

There likely won’t be any direct involvement of any of the subjects of the documentary either. When HBO made an official documentary on Shaq, he respected the Bryant family’s request and refrained from talking about his off-court relationship with Kobe.

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Shaq won his first championship alongside Kobe in 2000 and then two more as a Laker. While this duo worked wonders on the court, Shaq would look back on their relationship with bitter feelings.

Their alleged friction was subjected to media scrutiny. However, they were a lot closer than the rumors made it out to be. Shaq was even there courtside at Bryant’s final NBA game. How the new documentary explores it remains to be seen.

Bryant passed away with his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash in 2020. Since then, O’Neal has expressed that he has regrets about not sorting out their differences before his friend’s demise.

Shaquille O’Neal still haunted by loss

Shortly after Kobe’s passing, Shaq broke down on air on Inside the NBA expressing how he’s still haunted by things left unsaid between him and his former teammate. He told his co-hosts emotionally about wanting to make more efforts to communicate with his friends.

There was an instance when O’Neal’s followers were concerned for him. Shaq had been mourning the loss of his sister in 2019 when he lost Bryant too. He admitted that the grief made it difficult to sleep.

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Now O’Neal only has admiration or funny anecdotes to reveal about Kobe Bryant. What do you anticipate in the new docuseries?